Willard Anthony Eastin Jr.

Bill was born in Monroe, Louisiana on March 7, 1942 and died in Metairie, Louisiana, on March 22, 2021. He is survived by his wife, Paulette Charbonnet Eastin; his three daughters, Karen (Jody) Heap of Metairie, Louisiana, Erin (Jeff) Merchant of Harahan, Louisiana and Sharon (Todd) Romig of Mandeville, Louisiana; seven grandchildren, Grace Gardere, Jake Romig, Sara Merchant, Jake Heap, Cole Heap, Lila Merchant and Julia Romig; as well as a host of nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Willard Anthony Eastin, Sr. and Mary Eble Eastin; his wife of 45 years, Dana Alexander Eastin; and his sister, Ann Schwartz.

Bill is also survived by his sister, Jane (Bob) Henry of Kingwood, Texas; his brothers, Kenneth Eastin of Metairie, Louisiana and Dan (Susan) Eastin of Jefferson, Louisiana; and his brother-in-law, Joseph Schwartz of Kenner, Louisiana.

A parishioner of St. Ann Church and Shrine for the past several years, Bill grew up in Uptown New Orleans where he attended Holy Name of Jesus School and was an altar boy at the Most Holy Name of Jesus Church. Living next door to “Old” Tulane Stadium, Bill and his neighborhood pals invariably made it into the football games there, which explains his being a longtime season ticket holder for Tulane football and baseball.

Bill graduated from Jesuit High School, which, along with Manresa House of Retreats, set him on his lifelong path of striving to live “For the Greater Glory of God.” A member of Jesuit’s Class of ’59, he enjoyed their monthly lunches and continuous reunions. He attended Pearl River Junior College and graduated from Loyola University with a psychology degree and, later, an MBA. While at Loyola as an undergraduate, Bill was very active in Alpha Delta Gamma Fraternity. He cherished the resulting lifelong friendships and the occasional gatherings with his brothers throughout his life.

Immediately following graduation from Loyola, Bill went from Army ROTC directly into active duty in the United States Army where he graduated from the USA Command and General Staff College and served as one of their instructors. Active duty turned into years of service in the Army Reserve from which Bill ultimately retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.

After active duty, Bill worked at Touro Hospital as Employment Manager then went on to Pan American Life as Employment and Benefits Supervisor. He was promoted to Director, Administration & Systems, Medicare Department. While at Pan American, he served as President of the employee organization PalAmigos and was inducted into the Commercial Athletic Association Hall of Fame. Additionally, Bill temporarily served at UNO as adjunct professor in the Business School. He was also a member of the faculty of the University of Phoenix for about five years.

Bill then joined Mid South Services as Manager of Benefits Administration and was there when Mid South became Entergy Corporation. He was an early member of the Over-The-Mountain-Athletic-Club (OTMAC), participating in softball, football, baseball and golf, in addition to other sports. He relished their myriad of social activities until just recently.

In the mid-90’s, Bill left Entergy and partnered with a friend to form a Group Health & Life Insurance company, in affiliation with Powell Insurance. He later formed his own Group Health & Life Insurance LLC from which he retired gradually over the last couple of years. Bill served as President of the New Orleans Association of Health Underwriters and, after, became President of the Louisiana Health Underwriters Association.

The Eastin family wishes to express their heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the caregivers, nurses, aides and administration of Family HomeCare, Passages Hospice and Visiting Angels for their devoted care over these last several months.

A Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 12 PM at St. Ann Church and National Shrine, 3601 Transcontinental Dr. Metairie, LA 70006. Relatives and friends are invited to the visitation at church beginning at 10 AM. A graveside service will follow Mass at St. Patrick Cemetery #3.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Ann Church and National Shrine. Their mailing office is located at 4940 Meadowdale St. Metairie, LA 70006.